Picture-frame



R. D,- MORGAN.

PICTURE- FRAME.

APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 23, 1916. RENEWED FEB. a, 1920.

Patented Mar 23, 1920.

WITNESSES tit] till

(IFTGEQ RODNEY DAVID MORGAN, 015 EAST ROCKAW'AY, NEW YGRK.

PICTURE-FRAME.

inst-use.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

Application filed September 23, 1916, Serial No. 121,750. Renewed February 3, 1920. Serial No. 355,956.

To all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, RODNEY D. MORGAN, a citizen of the United Estates, and a resident of East Rochaway, in the county of Nassau and State of N-w York, have invented a new and Improved Picture-li rainc of which the :lollowing is a full, clear, and exact de scription.

This invention relates to picture frames or similar holders for articles to be exhibited, and the invention has to deal particularly with means for clamping a picture or article in the frame or holder and with means for supporting the frame or holder as an. easel,

or for hanging the frame or holder on a wall.

The invention has for its general objects to provide a holder of the class described having a novel arrangement of picturc-reaining clamps in the form of bails so arranged that they can be easily and quickly locked or unlocked to enable a picture to be fastened in a frame or holder without the use of brads or other securing means, the picture retaining clamps being in the form of wire hails pivotally and detachably engagged with the sides of the frame or holder and adapted to have an interlocking trio tiona'l engagement with the top and bottom of the frame, the upper bail being capable of use as a hanger when the picture frame is to be hung on a wall.

ill. further object of the invention is the provision of an additional wire bail which is adjustably connected with the sides of the picture "frame in such a manner that the additional bail can be used as a leg when the picture is to be supported easel-fashion, and when the picture is to be hungon the wall, the leg-forming bail is adjusted to a position so as to act as a pictures-staining clamp in place of the top clamp when the same is employed as a hanger.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

Tn the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of the invention and wherein similarcharacters or rett'irence in dicate corresponding parts in all the views Figure 1 is a rear view of a picture showing the same supported easel-fashion;

Fig, 2 is a rear View showing the picture in condition for hanging; on the wall; and

F ig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 2, showing the picture supported on a wall.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a holder or frame of ordinary construction for holding a picture or equivalent article. The picture or article 13 is set into the opening or receptacle of the frame and is retained in place by upper and lower spring wire clamps in the form o1 bails 1 and 2 when the picture is supported easel-tashion, as shown in Fig. 1, and when the frame is hung on the wall, as shown in 3, the picture is retained in the frame by the clamp 52, and a third clamp 3., which is in the form of a wire bail and is adapted to take the place oi the clamp i, which latter acts as a hanger to engage a nail 4 or other suspending means as shown in Fig. 3. The clamps or bails 1 and Q, are of similar construction and each is composed oi. a bowed wire having its extremities bent outwardly into pivots 5 which are disposed in a common line and are adapted to engage in apertures 6 in the side walls of the picture receptacle ot the frame. The apertures 6 for both picture clamps 1 and 2 are the same distance from the top and bottom of the picture frame, and the middle portion 7 of each picture-retaining clamp or bail is adapted to engage the upper and lower walls 8 and 9 of the picture receptacle of the frame. In order to be engaged with these walls the wires must be sprung; out of their normal curva ture, as indicated by the lower wire 2. In Fig. 2 the dotted lines represent the normal condition of this bail, but in order to lock it in picture-retaining; position it is necessary to compress the bail so as to interlock with the picture frame, as shown by the full-line position. It will be noted that the bowed or curved portion of each clamp lies wholly to one side of a line passing through the pivots 6 This means that either of the retainers can be used as a hanger, so that no special care need be exercised as to which part of the "frame will be the top or bottom when placing a picture therein. In order to bring about the interlocking engagement between the middle of the wire clamps 1 and 2 and the picture frame, the distance between the apertures 6 and the adjacent end of the "tures vare located intermediate the apertures 6 forthe clamps 1 and 2, and the set 12 is thesame distance fromthe center of the picture frame asis theset 11. Adjacent the pivots 10-. the wire bail 3 is formed with stop-forming loops or bends 13 which lie in a plane making an obtuseanglew-ith the plane of the major portion of the bail 3, so thatwhen the bail 3 is employed asaneasel leg, as in Fig. 1, the stops 13 will, engage the-back of the-picture or article in the frame and serve to brace the leg 3 in its proper relation to the picture frame. flVhen used as a supporting leg, as in-Fig; 1, the pivots 10 engage 1n the upper apertures 11,

but by engaging these pivots in; the apertures 12, asrin Fig. 2,-thebail3 can be employed as a picture-retaining clamp to take the place of the clamp 1 when the latter is employedas a hanger, it being, understood that the middle portionof the bail 3 engages the picture:frame in the same manner as the clamp 1. It willithus be-seen thatha picture or other article can be retained in a frame or holder without the ordinary fasteners, and that the picture. frame isequipped with meanswhereby it can be supported as an easel, or can be hung on a wall, and whereby the bail can be easily and quickly adjusted.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanymg drawing,

the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by. those. skilled in, the art to which the invention ,appertains, and while I I have described the principle of operation, to-

gether with the device which I now-consider to be the best embodiment thereof I-desire to-have it understood that the deviceshown .is merely illustrative and that such changes maybe madeowhen desired as fall within vthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent .use as an easel leg when in one position and as a picture-retaining clamp when in a different position when one ofthe said first mentioned clamps is used as a hanger.

1 2. The combination of a holder having an opening for receiving a picture or the like, picture-retaining clamps pivotally connected with the opposite walls of the opening and having interlocking engagement with the other walls, either of the clamps being convertible for use as a hunger for the holder. the walls with which the clamps are engaged being provided with two sets of apertures disposed the same distance at opposite sides of the middle of the holder, and a wire bent into a bail and having its extremities formed into alining pivots engagcable in either set of apertures and formed with stop lugs adjacent the pivots, whereby said bail ma formwvhen in one position an easel leg and may serve as a picture retaining clamp when in the other position.

3;.The combination of a holder having an opening for receiving a picture or the like, the opposite walls of-thc opening having two sets ofaperturesdisposed the same distance from the middle, and a wire bail having its extremities formed to engage in eitherset of apertures and its middle portion engageable with the third wall of'the opening while in one set of'apertures,'to permit the bail to act as a picture-retaining clamp, the said bail serving as an easel leg when engaged with the other set of apertures.

. RODNEY. DAVID MORGAN. 

